Valve mechanism of internal combustion engines



June 2, 11936.

c. B. REDRUP I VALVE MECHANISM OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 16, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN var/To K June 2, 1936. c B REDRUP 2,042,730

VALVE MECHANISM OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 16, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WM H In June- 2, 1%6. c. B. REDRUP VALVE MECHANISM OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 16 UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE MECHANIS M OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Charles Benjamin Redru signor to The Bristol Company Limited. Bristol,

p, Bristol, England, as-

Tramways & Carriage Gloucester County,

England, a British company Application March 16, 1

' In Great Britain 3 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines of the kind comprising a plurality of cylinders arranged in a circle, the cylinders being disposed radially or axially.

More particularly the invention relates to engines of the above kind comprising an odd number of cylinders and which work on the four cycle principle.

The invention has for its object to simplify the valve mechanism of engines of the above kind.

The invention consists in an internal combustion engine of the above kind wherein the cylinder heads are provided with a single port and a rotary member is provided having pairs of ports arranged to cooperate with said single ports and with inlet and exhaust manifolds.

The invention also consists in an internal combustion engine of the kind above referred to as comprising an odd number of cylinders and according to the preceding paragraph wherein said rotary member is provided with an even number of pairs of ports.

The invention also consists in an internal combustion engine according to the preceding paragraphs wherein the said rotary member is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the engine crankshaft.

The invention also consists in an internal combustion engine according to the preceding paragraphs wherein the inlet and exhaust ports are, on the cylinder side of the rotary member, pitched on a single circle and, on the opposite side of said member, the inlet and exhaust ports are pitched on separate circles.

The invention also consists in an internal combustion engine of the kind referred to having details and arrangements hereinafter described or indicated. a

The invention will be described further in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one construction in accordance with the invention showing the rotary valve in a position in which the inlet port is in register with the port in the uppermost cylinder and showing the driving mechanism.

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 of the right-hand end of the engine, showing an exhaust port in the valve member in communication with the port in the uppermost cylinder.

Figure 3 is an under plan view of the valve member showing the four pairs of ports.

Figure 4 is a transparent end view of the en- 933, Serial No. 661,171 March 17, 1932 gine showing the cylinder ports and driving gear of the rotary valve.

Figure 5 is an end view of the Wobbler member showing the position of the drive wheel.

In the accompanying drawings, a plurality of cylinders I are arranged in a circle with their axes parallel with the axis of the crankshaft 2,

and a single port 3 is formed in the head of each cylinder. Adjacent to the cylinder heads there is provided a rotary valve member 4 having pairs of inlet and exhaust ports 5, 6, arranged to cooperate with the said single ports in the cylinder heads and with an inlet manifold 1 and an exhaust manifold 8, the rotary valve member being accommodated within the casing 9 of the said manifolds which latter, and preferably also the valve member, is jacketed or provided with hollow parts for the distribution of a cooling medium. The valve member may be arranged to be cooled by oil or by carburetted gas.

The said valve member is arranged to be rotated from the crankshaft which may pass through the valve member and is provided with an inclined crankpin I0 carrying a Wobbler member ll connected with the pistons l2 of the cylinders by means of the connecting rods [3.

The ports in the valve member are preferably of sector shape and are arranged so that on the cylinder side of the member the inlet and exhaust ports are pitched on a single circle and on the opposite or manifold side the inlet and exhaust ports are pitched on separate circles, the inlet and exhaust ports being in the construction shown arranged on the inner and outer circles respectively.

The invention is particularly applicable to internal combustion engines of the above kind which are provided with an odd number of cylinders and which work on the four cycle principle.

In the case of the constructions illustrated which are provided with nine cylinders the rotary valve member is caused to rotate at one eighth of the crankshaft speed but in the opposite direction to the latter by means of the gear wheels l4, l5, l6, ll, (see Figure 4) through which the drive is taken from the crankshaft to the driving rod Ila upon which is mounted the pinion I8 engaging with the spur teeth I 9 on the outside of the rotary valve member, the said member being provided with four pairs of inlet and exhaust ports disposed at apart as shown more clearly in Figure 3.

The ports in the cylinder heads are formed by sleeve members 20 fitted within openings formed in the cylinder casings, such sleeve members being fitted with piston rings 2! and being formed on, or connected with, a plate member 22 or members disposed between the end face of the cylinder head and the adjacent face of the valve member. The said sleeve members serve to prevent leakage of. the working fluid, the pressure of the latter forcing the sleeve members and the plate member or members into close contact with the adjacent 'face of the valve member thereby forming an eifective seal against leakage.

A sparking plug socket 23 is provided in the end wall of each cylinder. There is. also provided a common inlet manifold l in the form of an annular chamber with which communicate inlet passages 25 each of which opens into one of the inlet ports. The means for circulating cooling fluid through the rotary valve member comprises passageways 26 leading from the cylinder Water jackets 27 to the heads of the cylinders. Adjacent to the latter, the rotary valve member is formedwith an annular opening within which is located the inner ring 28 and the outer ring 29'. These two rings together form a conduit of generally concertina form through which cooling liquid from the passageways 25 passes to the passageways 3B in the rotary valve member and thence into the hollow parts SE of the latter. It will further be seen from this figure that the rotary valve member is entirely supported by the shaft 32 which is splined into the right hand end of the crank shaft 2 through the intermediary of the sleeve 33 about which the valve member is rotatably mounted, so that uneven wear of the face of the rotary valve member adjacent to the cylinder heads is minimized or eliminated.

It will be understood that four pairs of ports would only be suitable for a nine cylinder engine or a three cylinder engine, and in both cases the rotary valve member would turn at a rate equivalent to one eighth of the rate of revolution of the crank shaft. A seven cylinder engine would require three pairs of ports, and the rotary valve member would turn at a rate equal to one sixth of the rate of revolution of the crank shaft. The number of pairs of ports is determined by subtracting 1 away from the total number of cylinders chosen and dividing the remainder by 2. Thus, with a nine cylinder engine we have and with a seven cylinder engine 7 way of example but may be modified in accord ance with any particular requirements or practical conditions itmay be desired to fulfill.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A. multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a crank-shaft, a plurality of 5 cylinders disposed around said shaft with their axes extending along the length thereof, a plurality of cylinder heads formed in a single water jacketed block having a flat outer face arranged in a plane transverse to the crank-shaft, a plu- 10 rality of gas ports extending through said cylinder head block into said cylinder, which ports are arranged in a, circular path concentric with said shaft, a. plurality of water ports extending through the face of the block into the water 15 jacket, a single water jacketed valve member having a fiat face in contact with said cylinder heads and a plurality of gas ports opposite the gas ports in the cylinder head, and a plurality of water ports opposite the other water ports, 20 a double walled-packing ring enclosingboth sets of water portsand clamped between the cylinder heads and valve member, and means for effecting relative rotation between the valve member and the cylinder heads.

- 2'. A multi-cylinder internal-combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders arranged in a circle, and with axes parallel, a water jacket surrounding said cylinders, a cylinder head wall extending over the ends of the cylinders and over 0 the end of the water jacket, a single waterjacketed valve member arranged Withits inner face in contact with the outer face of the cylinder head wall, means for effecting relative rotation between said valve member and said cylinder head wall, both of which parts are provided with two sets of ports concentric with one another and with the axis of rotation, one of which sets of ports in each part communicates with a water-jacket space and with a set of ports in the other part, and the other of which sets of ports in the cylinder head wall communicates with the cylinders and with the other set of ports in the valve member, which latter set of ports communicates with gas passages extending through the valve member.

3. A multi-cylinder internal-combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders arranged in a circle, and with axes parallel, a water jacket surrounding said cylinders, a flat cylinder head 50 wall extending over the ends of the cylinders and over the end of the water jacket, a single water-jacketed valve member having a flat inner face in contact with a flat outer face of the. cyl inder head wall, means for effecting relative rotation between said valve member andsaid cylinder head wall, both of which parts are provided with two sets of ports concentric with one another and with the axis of rotation, one of which sets of ports in each part communicates with a water-jacket space and with a set of ports in the other part, and the other of which sets of ports in the cylinder head wall communicates with the cylinders and with the other set of ports in the valve member, which latter sets of ports communicates with gas passages extending through the valve member.

CHARLES BENJAMIN REDRUP. 

